A vehicular air conditioning device is provided which is capable of cooling a heat medium of a battery temperature adjustment device by a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit to improve operation efficiency when a battery is to be cooled. The vehicular air conditioning device includes a battery temperature adjustment device (61) for circulating a heat medium in a battery (55) to cool the same, a refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger (64) for exchanging heat between at least part of the refrigerant flowing out from an outdoor heat exchanger (7) and the heat medium circulating in the battery temperature adjustment device, and an auxiliary expansion valve (73) for decompressing the refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger. A control device controls a compressor (2) or the auxiliary expansion valve on the basis of a temperature Tw of the refrigerant of the refrigerant-heat medium heat exchanger to thereby adjust a battery temperature Tb to a target battery temperature TBO.

An air conditioning device for an electric vehicle includes: a housing having an air conditioning passage connecting an air inlet port to an air discharge port; an evaporator, an air heater, and an electric heater, which are positioned in series in the air conditioning passage in the housing; and a bypass door positioned after the evaporator in the air conditioning passage in the housing and configured to selectively allow some of air passing through the evaporator to bypass the air heater and the electric heater to the air discharge port.

A heat pump system for a vehicle may include first and second cooling apparatuses; a battery module; and a controller electrically connected to the first and second cooling apparatuses, the battery module, and an air conditioner apparatus to selectively control the first and second cooling apparatuses, the battery module, or the air conditioner apparatus according to a vehicle mode, wherein the heat exchanger provided in the air conditioner apparatus is connected to each of the first and second coolant lines to enable the coolants circulating in the first and second cooling apparatuses to pass through the heat exchanger, and a refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger is selectively condensed or evaporated depending on the vehicle mode through mutual heat exchange with the coolant supplied from any one of the first coolant line and the second coolant line, or the coolants supplied through the first and second coolant lines, respectively.

The invention relates to an electric vehicle cabin heating system and a control method. The system comprises a first refrigerant circuit and a second refrigerant circuit that are connected in parallel, wherein the circuits each comprise a gas-liquid separator and a compressor that are connected in series; the first refrigerant circuit further comprises a first expansion unit; the second refrigerant circuit further comprises a second expansion unit and a condenser; and the first expansion unit is connected to the second expansion unit and the condenser in parallel. Thus, rapid cabin heating and stable heating capacity are achieved, the dependence on a heater is eliminated, and an air-conditioning system is simplified. The method comprises: a refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit undergoing pressure regulation via the second expansion unit and then entering the condenser to release heat for heating a cabin; and a refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit undergoing throttling and pressure reduction via the first expansion unit and converges with the refrigerant in the second refrigerant circuit in the gas-liquid separator, and the converging refrigerant enters the compressor for cycling. Thus, the decoupling between the regulation of heating capacity and the temperatures and flow rate of exterior ambient air and cabin air is achieved, and the problems of insufficient heating capacity and frequent defrosting of a heat pump system at a low temperature are solved.

A refrigeration cycle device includes: a compressor; a heat radiating unit that causes refrigerant to heat air supplied to a space inside a vehicle cabin; a decompression unit that decompresses the refrigerant; an outside air heat absorbing unit that causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from outside air; a waste heat absorbing unit that causes the refrigerant to absorb waste heat of a waste heat device; a shutter that opens and closes a passage for the outside air introduced into the outside air heat absorbing unit; and a control unit that closes the shutter when it is determined that an amount of waste heat of the waste heat device is larger than an amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside air heat absorbing unit and the waste heat absorbing unit.

Provided is a vehicle air-conditioning system configured so that air-cooling/heating can be efficiently performed. The system (10, 20, 30, 40) includes a vapor compression heat pump unit (HP) having at least a compressor (CP), a condenser (CD), an expansion mechanism (EX), and an evaporator (EV) on a refrigerant circuit (RC), a brine flow path network (BC) having multiple pumps (PC, PH) and multiple flow path switching valves (TV1 to TV8, V1 to V9), and a vehicle indoor air-conditioning unit (AC) having an air duct (AD) and multiple vehicle indoor heat exchangers (HXC1, HXC2) arranged in series in the air duct. Upon actuation in an air-cooling mode or an air-heating mode accompanied by neither dehumidification nor defrosting, brine flows in series in the multiple vehicle indoor heat exchangers.

A refrigerant management system in a heat flux management system for an electric vehicle and a method of refrigerant management is provided. The system includes a vehicle air conditioning circuit including a heat pump circuit and a refrigeration cycle refrigerant circuit, the air conditioning circuit including a heat pump condenser in thermal communication with a heat source, a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with the heat source, an evaporator associated with an expansion valve, and a refrigerant compressor where the components are fluidly connected to one another by a refrigerant line. An accumulator is fluidly coupled in the refrigerant line downstream of the heat pump condenser, the refrigerant evaporator and evaporator and upstream of the refrigerant compressor, and the air conditioning circuit is switchable between a heating mode and a cooling mode in which the refrigerant circuit is in fluid communication with the compressor by actuation of at least one valve.

A thermal management circuit for a hybrid or electric vehicle is disclosed. The thermal management circuit has a first reversible air conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates and includes a two-fluid heat exchanger arranged jointly on a second loop for the circulation of a heat-transfer fluid. The second loop for the circulation of a heat-transfer fluid includes a first circulation branch including in the direction in which the heat-transfer fluid circulates, a first pump, a first radiator arranged in an internal air flow, and a battery heat exchanger. A second circulation branch is connected in parallel with the second radiator and includes a second pump and an electric device for heating the heat-transfer fluid. A third circulation branch connected in parallel with the first pump and the battery heat exchanger includes the two-fluid heat exchanger.

Disclosed is a method for controlling a thermal regulation circuit of a vehicle, the circuit comprising first (2) and second (4) heat exchangers situated in series in a circulation direction of an air flow intended to pass through them in this order, the circuit further comprising an additional heat exchanger (16) situated upstream from the first heat exchanger (2) in the circulation direction of the air flow, the circuit being configured to allow the circulation of a refrigerant fluid in the first exchanger (2) and the circulation of a heat transfer fluid in the second exchanger (4) and in the additional exchanger (16), the method comprising a step of generating or increasing a flow rate of the heat transfer fluid in the additional exchanger (16) depending on operating modes of the circuit.

The present invention provides a vapor injection module including a first expansion means having an inlet port into which a refrigerant is introduced, and first line and second line connected to the inlet port so that the introduced refrigerant flows therethrough, the first expansion means being disposed at a connection portion between the first line and the second line and configured to control a flow direction of the refrigerant and whether to expand the refrigerant depending on an air conditioning mode, a gas-liquid separator connected to the first line and configured to separate the introduced refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant and a gaseous refrigerant, a second expansion means connected to a movement passage through which the liquid refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator flows, the second expansion means being configured to expand the introduced refrigerant, and a first outlet port connected to the second line and the second expansion means.